North Korea has successfully tested a hypersonic missile, state media reported Thursday, in the first major weapons test by the nuclear-armed nation this year.This was the second reported North Korean test of a hypersonic gliding missile to date - following one in September last year - as Pyongyang looks to add the sophisticated weapon to its arsenal despite international sanctions and condemnation.Hypersonic missiles move far faster and are more agile than standard ones, making them much har

Five global nuclear powers pledged Monday to prevent atomic weapons spreading and to avoid nuclear conflict, in a rare joint statement setting aside rising West-East tensions to reaffirm a goal of a nuke-free world."We believe strongly that the further spread of such weapons must be prevented," said permanent UN Security Council members China, France, Russia, the UK and the United States, adding: "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."The statement was issu

Over the past year, tensions between Russia on one side and Ukraine and the West on the other, have flared, fuelling fears of another armed conflict. The two sides have exchanged accusations of provoking a military escalation and there has even been an ostentatious movement of troops towards the frozen theatre of war in eastern Ukraine.Despite the hostile posturing on both sides, for now, it seems the game of brinkmanship has ended in a stalemate.

United States (US) President Joe Biden has been basking in the glow of his US$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which he signed into law on 15 November.

Activists and politicians have cautiously welcomed an unexpected United States-China declaration that vowed to boost climate co-operation.The European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) described the move as encouraging and an important step, but Greenpeace said both countries needed to show more commitment.The US and China are the world's two biggest carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters.They said they would work together to achieve the 1.5 Celsius (C) temperature goal set out in the 2015 Paris

President Joe Biden has said the United States (US) would come to Taiwan’s defence and had a commitment to defend the island China claims as its own, forcing the White House to clarify for the second time in three months that US policy on the subject has not changed.“Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” Biden said at a CNN town hall on Thursday night when asked if the US would come to the defence of Taiwan, which has complained of mounting military and political pressure from Beijing to acc

Do the United States (US) and China have an agreement on Taiwan’s political status?The question was raised on Tuesday when US President Joe Biden told reporters that he and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, had agreed to “abide by the Taiwan agreement”, leaving many around the world scratching their heads.Biden made the remark at the White House in response to a reporter’s question about rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, with Beijing sending more than 150 military planes towards Taiwan

While COVID-19's origin story is currently defined by a lack of hard evidence and data, scientists around the world continue their search for answers to how the pandemic began.As the world approaches the two-year mark since this novel coronavirus was first detected, there have been many twists and turns in the investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the pandemic.

United States (US) President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping talked for the first time in seven months Thursday, with both leaders urging a path away from conflict but holding ground on the fierce competition between the superpowers.In the 90-minute call, Biden warned against misunderstandings that could lead to confrontation between Washington and Beijing, the White House said, while Xi called for a new direction in a relationship beset by "serious difficulties".&n

In the year 2034, the United States (US) and China become embroiled in a series of military conflicts that escalate into a devastating tactical nuclear war. Other countries – including Russia, Iran, and India – get involved. Suddenly, the world is on the verge of World War III. This is the scenario described in 2034: A Novel of the Next World War, an engrossing work of speculative fiction by NATO’s former supreme commander, Admiral James Stavridis, and Elliot Ackerman.